Italian National Pavilion to debut at China int'l service trade fair

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Italian National Pavilion is set to debut at the 2022 China International Fair For Trade In Services (CIFTIS) slated to open on Wednesday, according to the Beijing Office of the Italian Trade Agency.

This is the first time that Italy will form a delegation in the name of the country for the event.

The delegation will consist of the Embassy of Italy in China, the Italian Trade Agency, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Government Tourist Board, and 15 Italian companies, said Gianpaolo Bruno, director of the Beijing Office of the Italian Trade Agency.

The Italian companies participating in the fair cover manufacturing R&D, food services, industrial design, business consulting, legal services, cultural services, construction and engineering services, and transportation and logistics, among other fields.

"Although it is difficult to make the journey from Rome to Beijing, due to objective factors such as COVID-19, every institution has tried every means to participate, which shows the importance Italian enterprises attach to this service trade fair," Bruno said.

Bruno added that the service sector plays a crucial role in the Italian economy and the country enjoys comparative advantages in a wide spectrum of services, such as tourism and arts and cultural services.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy's trade with China saw robust growth of 34.1 percent in 2021, data from China Customs showed.

The service industry is playing an increasingly important role in the bilateral trade between Italy and China, thanks to the efforts of the two governments in promoting opening up, Bruno noted.

China's economy is extremely resilient and strong, and China's economic growth will continue to account for the global economic growth in the coming period, he said, adding that Italian companies are confident in the Chinese market.